Eternity
by Crinzin13
Summary: About a woman who is given the "gift" of immortality. What will she do with it and what will she accomplish? (time period beginning a few years before Vanyel's books start)
1. A Gift in Death

Hi! This is my fic that is going to be the longest of all since I don't really know any places where I would be able to make a story break to make a sequel, or even another story after that! Oh well. The blurb below is just something of a intro like the kind you see in movies where one of the main character are talking and there is just a background or the person isn't actually talking. Example- X-men movie. The beginning with professor X and at the end with Jean repeating what professor X said at the beginning. Sorry if you have not seen that movie, but that is the only one right now that I can think of that has that kind of thing, if I think of another, I'll add it to a later one! :) Anyway, I should let you get to the story so that you don't get mad at me and end up not reading it after all! Bye! Hope you like it!  
  
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When you are young, you realize something, that life is short and that there is always an end to your life. As you reach your middle ages, you start to realize that life for you may be coming to an end at any given time for any given reason. Once you start to realize this, many people start to think of the fantasy about being given the "gift" of eternal life, or the ability to never die, to become immortal. As the last few years of ones life arrive, you give up on this dream of never ending life, because you realize that this is never to be possible. When you die, people remember you long after you are gone and no matter what, be permanently recorded in some way or another. But, what if the ability to become immortal was given to a mortal being, would it be amazing, new, exciting and wondrous? Or, would that person realize that they were cursed with a burden until the end of time…………  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The lightning struck the ground only a few meters away from where she was standing, looking out at the trees just beyond the Dhorisha Plains. Her Shin'a'in stallion shifted uneasily and pawed at the ground with his large hooves.  
  
"I know, we need to get going before the lightning hits us." Firewind, the woman about twenty-one summers old, said to Clyde, her stallion. She knew that he got uneasy in storms, but she had never seen him this panicky before. Firewind patted his neck and was about to mount when rain droplets started to fall upon them.  
  
Clyde side stepped just as Firewind went to put her foot into the stirrup. The next she knew, he was rearing and flailing his hooves in every direction as a bolt of lightning came too close for comfort only about a meter to their left. When the bolt came in contact with the ground, she felt the ground shake beneath her, and heard the thunder so loud that it made her ears ring for minutes afterwards.  
  
Firewind looked up from the ground and swayed slightly. In the distance, she could see Clyde galloping away at top speed towards her village. She let out a squeak as she realized that she was alone on an open plain while a lightning storm raged on above her.  
  
The clouds sent down another blow which missed her by about a foot and she jumped back and tripped over a small rock half buried in the ground. Firewind looked up to see the last thing before her life went black, a glowing red bolt of power and electricity shoot down from the clouds and hit her head on.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Firewind's eyes fluttered open and she gasped for breath. She took the air into her lungs in large gulps.  
  
When she finally took the time to look at her surroundings, she noticed that she was no longer laying on the ground of the Dhorisha plains, but she was laying on a path-like strip in what seemed to be the night sky. The path was see-through, but cloudy, and the air seemed to have sparkling little particles floating in it.  
  
Firewind looked in front of her and noticed that there was an old man standing in front of her smiling. She looked in all directions wondering if there was someone else, other than him, around and to try and find out where he had come from.  
  
"Firewind, do you know where you are?" The man asked her. His voice seemed to come from all directions at once. Now, he had a slight glow to him, and he almost seems slightly transparent.  
  
"No, but it seems to me that it has been described to me from one person or another. Where exactly am I?" Firewind picked herself up from the pathway and automatically dusted her clothes off, even though there was nothing that could have attached itself to the cloth.  
  
"You are in the realm of the gods and their avatars, you have most likely imagined it when a shaman had described it to you, we get quite a few of them who visit one avatar or another." He waited to see he reaction to this, and when she looked at him like he was crazy, he continued, "I assume that you are wondering why you are here, right?"  
  
"Yes, why have I not passed on regularly, like all the others who die?" Firewind stepped cautiously towards him to test her leg strength and to see if the "path" would hold her.  
  
"Firewind, you have a gift that has not yet awakened, and that gift would help the world you just came from if trained and used, but you are the one who will decide how to use your gift and be the one to decide how you are going to react with what it is." The man said. "Right now, the gods are waiting to reveal your "gift" from them, will you follow?" He asked signalling towards one direction that the path took.  
  
"What have I to lose by following you into an unknown abyss?" Firewind shrugged and followed the older man farther and farther down the path until they reached a clearing that was about two times the size of the Dhorisha Plains. Above her were human like figures, she recognized the one. The one figure was her own Star-eyed god.  
  
The figures, now what Firewind figured were gods, were having conversations with each other. The old man that she had followed cleared his throat and all the gods looked down on the two. "She is hear as you requested." He moved to the side and used his hand to push he towards the all-powerful ones.  
  
"Firewind, I am sure that Urtho has explained to you what is going on and what exactly we want you to do, correct?" Star-eyed said. Her voice also sounded like it came from every where at the same time, but she was transparent where the older man was not.  
  
"Is he-" She pointed towards the man who had lead her to the clearing.  
  
"Yes Firewind, that is the legendary Urtho, but much, much older."  
  
"He did tell me about what is going on, but he did not exactly tell me what you wanted from me." Firewind was puzzled, what could there be that THEY would want from HER?  
  
"I am glad he forgot to leave that out, I was sure that since he was so keen on that he would have ventured into that topic. Anyway, Firewind, you have the gift that the people call one "mage" gift. You may know of the Tayledras who use it, but your own people, the Shin'a'in do not. We have concluded that if this power was trained and used, it could come in handy for saving most of your world's people, not just the Shin'a'in. We are willing to train you in anything that may come in handy for you and to prepare you for the long journey ahead." The Star-eyed gazed down on her and waited for a response. When Firewind choked out a reply that sounded somewhat like a grunt, she continued. "We will be giving you a 'gift' of our own. Sometimes you may look at it as a curse, but we think that by the time you accomplish half of your tasks, you come to see the reasoning behind it. Firewind, we are going to "bless" you with the power to never die, to be immortal. If you refuse this offer, the world that you know will change while you watch it from here, in the spirit world. If you accept this offer, you will be known for longer than anyone could think. Are you willing to accept this?"  
  
"I-I'm not exactly sure right now. Will you seriously give me immortality? And train me with this new power, and allow me to live my life I want while accomplishing you set tasks?" Questions were pouring out if her mouth at a speed she thought that even she could not acquire.   
  
"I can assure you that all you have asked has the answer 'yes'." Her god looked down at her and Firewind made up her mind right then and there.  
  
"I'll do it."  
  
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What do you think? Interesting? Boring? Appealing? Well, review me and please tell me. I want to update this story a lot and you will probably see that since I have so many different ideas stuffed into my head right at the moment! Lol. I'll await those reviews anxiously and hope that they are good, even though I cannot always hope for that! :) I'll continue this and my other fics soon! 


	2. An Unexpected Visitor

Hey, I know, I haven't updated this fic in a LONG time, but I got side tracked with my newer ones! But since I've decided to wait for De to catch up with the chapters on the one, I'll have lots of time to work on my others! Well, I won't hold you for long, since you've waited long enough as it is!

P.S. (I'm going to tell you this in every fic, and in my bio, since I'm not sure if everyone reads everything of mine!) I now have a muse, and yet he's not a muse. His name is Touse, but I'm probably going to refer to him as 'Writer's Block' accidently, so be on the look out and try not to get confused! He **_is_**__ the source of my writer's block! This is why he is and isn't a muse, lol.

P.S.S. Since the stars don't work any more on fanfiction's website, I'm going to do "actions" with a - - in front and a - - behind. Ex. - -Points to nice pretty dashes- -

Touse: - -Leaning on shovel, shaking head- - You're hopeless.

Crinzin: Thank you. Anyway, - -glares at Touse- - I'm going on with my story, and I hope that Touse leaves his shovel where it's supposed to be, a.k.a. in the ground!

Touse: - -rolls eyes- - You're no fun.

P.S.S.S. (Sorry) I'm sorry that this chapter is so short!

THANKS!

Chapter 2, An Unexpected Visitor.

Axel gazed up at the furious storm brewing over the stable. It was black as night, even though the half day mark had not yet passed. His sister had gone out again today, as she had done for about the past moon. She seemed to be looking for something out there.

He hoped that she had enough sense to have realized the on coming storm and was riding Clyde back here right now. Her Shin'a'in steed was one who greatly disliked rain, well, storms in general. If she were not coming back at this very moment, she just might find herself walking through the plains on her own two feet.

Axel shook his head and his black floppy hair swung into his field of view. He moved it out of the way with his muscular hand, and continued with his work.

Only seconds after he had bent his head back down towards the stall floor he had been working with, he heard the pounding of large hooves.

'Clyde,' Axel thought 'it's about time she got back!' He tossed the tool to the side and walked out to greet her, but found something he had not expected, especially from his sister. Firewind's favourite beast was slowing to a walk, rider less. This was not like his sister.

Just as Clyde skidded to a halt before Axel, he heard a scream, a terrified, purely female scream, and it was coming from the direction that Clyde had come galloping in from. Axel didn't even stop to think before he was up in the saddle and kicking with all his might to get the stallion to gallop back to the raging storm outside of their small village.

Axel leaned down in the saddle, to help with the blowing winds that seemed to slow them down to a crawl, even though grasses and flowering weeds of all types flashed by in blurs of yellow, green, and purple.

Finally, Axel could see that they were coming up quickly to a large and dark blob on the ground. Axel pulled back on the reins and slowed Clyde down to a nice trot. As they came closer to the blob, Axel could see that it was a human shape and it looked as if it were scorched from burning too quickly.

Axel finally realized why she had screamed only a few moments ago. She had been in the storm and had been struck down by a bolt of lightning. When he got to the body of his beloved sister, he could see that no person could have ever lived through that kind of experience. His sister was gone, gone forever.

Axel slid down from Clyde's back and walked over to Firewind's body. He could see her face relatively well, but almost all of her was black, and she almost looked peacefully asleep. Axel sank to his knees and stayed beside his sister as the storm above raged on oblivious to them.

He was so stunned by what he was seeing, he sat, unmoving, not letting out a sound. Finally, a silent tear ran down his cheek, and he cried silently for his lost sister, with Clyde standing solemnly behind him.

The storm above raged around them violently, creating small divots in the earth, in the form of a circle around them, none getting closer than about five feet. The sky was a purple blue, and the winds rose and fell with strong gusts smelling of rain.

Even though Axel was soaked to the bone within minutes of kneeling down on the wet grass, he gave no notice to it. He shivered, and a sob escaped his throat, and it sounded meek and lonely in the open area of the plains.

At that point, the shrill battle cry of a large bird of prey rang out from the darkness, and when Axel looked up from the ground, he saw a silver steak heading for him. Clyde, normally spooked easily, moved not an inch when the cry came out and the streak because slightly visible.

The flying creature was huge, larger than a horse even, and as it spotted Axel and his dead sister, it cried out again, as if in triumph. It had the look of a bird, but it had the body of a ground based creature, consisting of four legs for walking, and two wings for flying, as it was now. It's beak looked sharp and strong enough to crush his head in one squeeze. It had massive talons on each foot, which looked to be as long, and twice as thick as one of his fingers.

The animal-bird, slowed with great flaps of his wings, which sent no air flying about. One thing Axel could not figure out, was how it could fly in the rain, when it's wings would have been so soaked, they would have been totally useless for at least the whole entire day. the creature halted, with more powerful beats of his wings, and when it touched the ground, it created long lines in the ground with it's talons as it slid on the wet grass.

The creature looked almost nonexistent, as if were living, yet at the same time it was not. Have in some abilities on the earth, such as making imprints. Yet, not some other abilities, such as getting wet in the middle of a furious storm.

As Axel gazed at the thin in front of him, he realized what it was that was standing there so silently. It was a legendary creature from tales that he had heard of the Great Mage of Silence. This _thing_ was a gryphon, one of the many now-thriving things He had created in his time. It looked at him calmly with it's golden eyes, the only things on it that wasn't a transparent blue-white colour.

"I have come for Firewind. She is wanted in the Heavens. I, Skandranon, have been sent to fetch her. She will be in good hands. Please do not worry about her." The gryphon spoke with a deep rumbling voice, and didn't have what they called, or so he'd heard, a gryphonic accent. "the Mage of Silence sends his greetings to all in your family, though he would like it if you would spread the word that he has bene in contact with humans in any form." the gryphon nodded, and Axel slowly nodded with agreeance back.

Skandranon took into his taloned hands, his sister's body, and as his white-blue feathers touched her skin, it healed, along with her clothing, and other belongings which she had been wearing.

"I figure, well, we figured that you would like to see her one last time, in her true form, as a human. She will be back, and that I swear my honor, pride and soul on. Goodbye Axel." With that, Skandranon spread his wings wide, signaling that he was ready to leave, to some higher power above.

The Heavens opened, and light shone down so bright, that Axel had to partly shield his eyes to be able to see the departure. Skandranon nodded in his direction for the last time, and shot into the air, using the powerful beats of his wings, which sent no back winds to Axel.

"Goodbye Firewind. I await your reappearance." Axel watched as the light faded when the blue-white, spirit gryphon entered the Heavens.

The rain cleared quickly as Axel waited for a few more moments, hoping that he would wake from a wild dream, to find Firewind safe and unharmed, back on earth, sleeping soundly in her cot.

Axel sighed heavily, "Well, I think it's time to go back home Clyde. We can wait for Firewind's arrival where I can get some dry clothes, and get a nice hot drink inside me." He looked once more into the now slightly-dark blue sky, and said his final goodbyes.


	3. Help Wanted, Help Granted

Well, this is the third chapter, of many, on this fic! :) I'm trying to think of ways to make this part go a little slower than it seems to be moving, but nothing is coming. If you think that I should try to elaborate on Firewind's training, please say so in a review, and if you think I should just get on to what I have planned, please tell me that in review. Thanks!  
  
Touse: --grins evilly-- You know, you're never going to get this fic going, I'm going to keep giving you writer's block.  
  
Author: --glares at Muse-- Well, this chapter took me a long time to figure out, research for (the bird mainly (you'll see)) and write. Please review! -- Trips Touse on his way out, and grins innocently.-- Thanks!

P.S. The part at the end, is a dream, hence the italics. :)

Chapter 3, Help Wanted, Help Granted.  
  
When Firewind agreed to train under the eye of Urtho, the Great Mage of Silence, she had thought that he would help her along, not push her around like he was doing at the moment. She was expected to dodge his attacks, detect his traps, and defend herself from his constant rain of lighting bolts, all at the same instant.  
  
She panted heavily, and groaned about the unfairness of still being qualified as "human." She felt pain, got weary, still had to breath, everything like a mortal, except, she was training with a long dead man, in a place full of sand, flowers, grass and mist, and was unable to die. Thus meaning, Urtho could attack her with all his might, able to teach her a lesson with great pain, yet not kill her outright.  
  
The 'tree,' or at least the transparent dream world version of it, in front of her set on fire, and quickly shrieked a reply at Urtho. The 'creatures' in this realm were living, seriously living. They had spirits and minds of their own, and when truly annoyed, shrieked deafening sounds at them in protest, giving the annoyance of a massive headache.  
  
The tree shook itself, and water sprinkled out of nowhere, putting out the large fire. This meadow, as her teacher referred to is as, was made especially for her training purposes. It had a sandy-water place on the far eastern area, a grass meadow, complete with waist-high grass in the centre, a large evergreen forest in the north, a smaller bush and leaved tree forest to the south, and finally, a rock formation and invisible exit door to the west.  
  
Dashing from bush to bush on the south side, she managed to keep out of sight, and made no noise in the underbrush. She sensed that her teacher, who was currently occupying the meadow, was tracking her magical trail, trying to find her hiding spot. She was glad she had used the last piece of magic a few feet away, and made it seems as if she were heading west, not the east route she had truly taken.  
  
As discreetly as she could manage, she probed for magical laid traps, which were meant to snare her if she got too close. She searched the area around here, starting from the top of the forest, then scanning down to the berry decorated bushes, now in full bloom.  
  
Firewind looked with her Mage-Sight, glancing around herself quickly, forgetting to look directly in front of her feet. After disengaging that type of sight, she sighed, glad to have finally found a place where no traps had been set.  
  
After smelling the air, and taking in the sights, she stepped forward, only to find herself caught in a magical trap, which froze her in place, alerting it's setter. This, of course, caused Urtho to find her directly and quickly, and he soon appeared at her side, a sly grin on his face.  
  
"What did you forget to do this time, my child?" Urtho let the trap sag enough as to let her talk to him directly, instead mind-to-mind.  
  
"I forgot to check directly beneath me for any trap like object." Firewind growled at him. She tried to move her right arm, only to have a lance of pain shoot through it, which ended up making her gasp loudly. "And now I'm paying for it."  
  
Urtho smiled again, and before he could answer, Firewind added, "And you're going to make me stay in this position until either the trap lets go, you let it go, or I find a way to destroy it from the inside, which means there is definitely a way to get rid of it, probably an added crack in the spell or something too simple to really notice without very close scanning."  
  
Urtho laughed, "You know the drill, keep it up Firewind, and you'll make a fine Adept some day soon."  
  
Firewind knew that he didn't really mean for her to be in as much pain as she was, but he had to be stern with her, or she would never have learned some of the 'tricks' she already knew off by heart. Urtho walked away, and Firewind considered her connection to the ancient Mage.  
  
Her family tree grew proud and strong, with lineage from so far back, she couldn't even remember how long ago the first recording was place on paper. Urtho was a some-odd great grandfather of hers, and she couldn't even see how she resembled him in the least bit, even though Avatars of the Star-Eyed told her irrefutable similarities nearly every day.  
  
'Well, no time for pondering in a position like this! Now, time to figure out how to crack this spell….'  
  
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"I see you've managed to escape from your prison." Macaria laughed heartily, and her misty form swirled a little faster. Macaria had been her best friend since she'd gotten to this world, and she always had to rub it in when Firewind messed up in one of her training sessions. Firewind figured that she only did it to make Firewind burn the memory into her mind more, which, in the long run, was better for her.  
  
"Yes, it didn't take me this long either. Since I knew what to do from the last time, I didn't waste my time just browsing over the spell." Firewind yawn. Working magic took a lot out of her, especially when she had a lesson, and then had to break a spell from the inside right afterwards.  
  
"Now, I may not remember what it feels like to be tired any more, but that doesn't mean that you don't! You're still partly mortal, and mortals need their sleep. Now off to bed with you!" Macaria had been dead for nearly as long as Urtho, but had died when she was younger, so had decided to keep her younger appearance, rather than looking like an older, more wiser avatar.  
  
Since avatars were completely immortal, they didn't need to sleep, eat, or even breath, so they tended to loose track of how long she could go for without sleep. Sometimes, she ended working for nearly two days straight without her much needed rest, but that teacher usually let her sleep for a day without break, to catch up with what she had missed.  
  
Urtho had long learned her 'good' limits, and usually let her sleep before her senses gave out, and she lost control of her powerful Gift. But, accidents happened!  
  
After making it back to her "bedroom," a small closet like room which held a bed, and a night stand, she fell into bed. After such a long lesson, every sense was dull, and she fell fast asleep when her head hit the pillow.  
  
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_Light filled her, reaching places she didn't even know existed. The light grew wider in the darkness, and she could see irregular black blobs in the darkness killing light.  
  
The middle, was tall, much taller than the other that was ground-bound, and had a larger middle, with ears that perked up, and a tail of hair, like a horse, or so it seemed. The one on the left, was smaller, and looked as if it came up to about the shoulder of the one in the middle. It looked darker, somehow, it's ear looked rounded at the tops, and it's tail looked more like a wolf's, furry, but still had more bone in it than the middle one. The final creature, flew, gliding gracefully to the right of the group, occasionally swooping past the middle, and above the left one. It looked fairly large, and it's tail feathers were long, and moved about like a fan of hair-like strands.  
  
The creatures moved closer, and while it seemed like a life time, they finally arrived before her. She looked from creature to creature, and the light finally swallowed the final bit of black.  
_  
:You are worried my dearest, do not be afraid.: _She could here the masculine voice inside her head, and by the look in the pure white horse's eyes, it was he who had spoken to her.  
  
The horse was beautiful, snow white coat, sapphire blue eyes, flowing long mane and tail, what more could you ask for?  
  
To his direct left, now sitting, was a wolf-like animal. It's features looked a little more rounded, and it's ears flopped over themselves, instead of standing erect. His colours were nearly all black, like the wolves of the forest, but with some grey and white streaks near the chest, ears, and throughout the tail. It's tail was bushy, and also looked like a wolf's, but was longer.  
  
Finally, she looked up, in the direction of a magnificent bird, an exotic bird, the kind in fairy tales. His, for it's colouring made it a him, tail was long and wide, with feathers more like red streamers than the tail feathers of eagles, owls, and hawks. This meant that he was meant for show, partly for female attraction, and partly for human attraction. His body was black with the exception of a blue, then yellow band of colour around his neck.  
  
The group sure made a show.  
_  
:He is right my dear, there is no need to fear us, or to worry over us. You will meet us soon enough.: _This time, she could see the wolf-creature, if that what it was, move slightly as he spoke to her, mind-to-mind._ :And you can say I'm a dog, to cut the thinking shorter.: _The, dog, looked as if he were grinning at her._  
  
:Fear bad. Friends. Smart friends. Good friends. Here to help.: _This, she could tell came from the bird, which had perched itself on the top of the horse's head, carefully placing it's talons away from sensitive skin, like a well trained bird would do._  
  
:We came to tell you something important, listening is crucial. Fear us not, but fear what is inside you. Inside, you will find darkness at first. Fear it, don't give into it. Beat it down with your strengthened mind, and banish it from your mind.: _The horse first said._  
  
:Follow your heart's words. Don't take opportunities in split second time. Consider, great minds think alike, just as great minds think apart. Do not let the darkness sway you, believe only what trusted others say.: _The dog followed.  
_  
:Wisdom come with many years. Intelligence come from practice. And smarts come from beginning. Choose what learn carefully. Knowledge help in future. Underestimate not. Power come from within mind, not arm.: _These finishing words, obviously came from the bird.  
  
With their job well done, and satisfaction filled, they faded and left…  
  
Left her to think on what may happen._


	4. The Journey Begins

I know this fic is off in cannon, like Urtho having a great, great (how ever many of those) grand daughter, and the thing you'll read about Jervis, but the whole point to fanfiction is to make us weird things, even if the outcome would be really weird in the normal cannon. Please don't flame me on this, because I already know it's wrong, I'm just trying to have a little fun! Thanks!

Touse: Plus, she's really weird and likes to make that known with her fics!

Author: -glares- Well, please enjoy, and please review, I want to know what you think about this fic!

Chapter 4, The Journey Begins

---------------------------

'_Change comes........_'

Those words stung in her head as Firewind woke with a start, sweat drenched, knowing something had either happened or was happening. Firewind sat trying to catch her breath.

It was four years since she had gotten here, and she had even aged accordingly, oddly enough, so she looked to be twenty-five instead of the young and naive twenty-one year old who arrived here. She had quickly learned how to use her skills as a Mage. She had reached Adept level a few weeks before, and was just touching up on her final skills. she trained with Urtho, and still lost more times than she won. She knew she'd never be as strong as he was when he died, let alone with what he knew now.

Firewind could feel she skin crawl as Urtho used a Gate to travel from the meeting with the Gods, to her room. Urtho came through the Gate which formed in her mist door, and stepped through quickly.

"My dear, I just came back from a meeting like talk, and we have decided to let you know that you are complete in your training, and that I think that you know more than what will be useful when confronting another mage. I have just been informed that you must leave. It is your mother's Time, and we figured that when this came, you would be allowed to go to her. Please take care of yourself, and always watch out for those you love."

Firewind's memories came flooding into her mind like water, past the dam she had built to keep them out. She remembered all of the good times she had spent with her loving mother and her eyes stung, threatening tears, her mother was dying. She nodded slowly to Urtho.

"If you ever need me, or the Star-eyed, we will always be there to listen to you. Just find the moonpaths, and I will be waiting for you. If you ever should need help with your gift, call and again I shall be waiting for you. Firewind, take care of yourself....." Urtho's voice faded as the surrounds blurred and then vanished.

Firewind closed her eyes for fear of getting sick. Her stomach felt nauseous. All of a sudden, she felt solid ground beneath her feet and opened her eyes.

Right in front of Firewind, there stood a small building. This was the house that she remembered her mother and her having so many good times. She remembered when they had first moved into the house, the first time that she had snuck out of and back in to it. Then came the question, what had happened to her brother?

Firewind walked briskly over to the house and opened the door. On the floor of the tiny home, there laid her mother. She was older than Firewind remembered, but that had been five years ago when she last saw her. She was gasping for air and there were tears in her eyes. Her mother's heart was failing, at least that was the impression that she got.

"Mother?" Firewind walked cautiously into the house and knelt down beside her beloved parent.

"Firewind, is that, you?" Her mother gazed at her with pain filled eyes and started to cry. "It is you! Firewind, we all thought you were dead." She was having trouble speaking. "Axel found Clyde when the storm was strong, He came galloping into the village and he figured that you have either been thrown or got injured some other way trying to get away from the storm. I always thought that you just got injured and you'd come back eventually, since you were always a great rider. Why did you not come back before this?" Her mother coughed so strongly, it racked her body. She was dying faster than Firewind had hoped.

"Mother, easy now. I did not die, no, but the story is more different that you think. I have been with the Gods mother, with the Gods! For the past four years, They have been training me and now They let me come back to you. They said it was your Time, mother. You must not fight death. They told me themselves that you would be alright, and that you are now going to be with them. I love you mother, I love you so much. I'm sorry I never came back, I'm sorry that I never gave you any sign about me still living. I'm so sorry mother." This time, it was Firewind who broke out into tears.

"Firewind, the only thing that would ever have made me happy, before I died, would to be able to see you one last time. I have gotten my wish, and even a blessing from the Gods, saying that They are waiting for me and I will no long have to suffer in this world. Firewind, it is not your fault, you are not to blame for anything, so do not say you are sorry, for I forgive you of all things you ever did or will ever do. Firewind, I have something that I must tell you, and a few things that I must give you. You see that cupboard over there?" She pointed to a tall wooden cupboard in the corner while breathing heavily, and letting out another racking cough.

"Yes, that is the one that you would never let me touch." Firewind looked at the dark brown cupboard in the corner of the small house through blurred eyes.

"Well, that is because it hold things that I never wanted you to have, until you were old enough to understand them. you may now open it and see what is inside. There is a box, one that has been passed down through the generations. I want you to have it now, and I also want you to try and read the scriptures on it. There is also a letter in there, from your father. I know that you never knew him, but it may tell you some things about him. I have never read it, so you will be the only one to know it's words, other than him. There is also another letter in there, one I meant to get to him, which I never succeeded in doing. I know that you will eventually go looking for him, so please take it with you and give it to him if you ever do see him. I also have a piece of parchment in there with his name and his last known position, it may come in handy. That is all I have to say to you, my daughter." She paused for a minute coughing again. "I must leave now daughter, just like the Gods told you. I am glad They were there for you." Her mother smiled and another tear escaped her eye and rolled down her cheek, before her spirit left her body and went to the Gods, the place Firewind had just left.

"Good-bye mother. I will never forget you." Firewind whispered while holding her mother's body in a tight embrace for the last time. '_From now on, I must remember that she is always with me and that she would never leave me._'

Firewind laid her mother into a peaceful position and stood. She said her prayers and knew that her mother was watching her from above. She thought good and hard about what she had said about the mysterious corner cabinet and soon decided that if she did not open it now, she would probably never open it.

Firewind walked to the cupboard and opened it sliding doors. Like her mother had said, it contained four things. Two letters, addressed to two different people, a small black box with writing carved in it's sides, and a piece of parchment. She took the box out and turned it, so that she could see the beginning of the writing. the writing was in the language which Urtho had taught her, well, copied into her mind. She set the box down onto the small table which sat three people, or it had in the past. She then grabbed the two letters and the piece of parchment, and set them carefully down on the table, and closed the cupboard doors.

She turned to face the table and the items, and realized that there were three letters now in her pile, rather than two. She read the quickly scribbled name, and realized that it was addressed to her mother, from her brother. Firewind cursed herself for her stupidity about not asking her mother about him, and wondered if the letter would tell her about his where-a-bouts.

Firewind opened the letter and noticed that it had probably been read many times before.

_Dear Mother,_

_If you are reading this, then you can probably see that I have left home, and I wanted to tell you that you shouldn't worry about me. I found the letter from dad in your forbidden cupboard, and I'm sorry for intruding on your private area. I anted to tell you that I have gone to see my father, and I'll try to be back as soon as I can._

_ Love, Your son, Axel._

So, her brother had gone to see their father. At least that answered one of her questions. she folded up the letter, and placed it on the left side of the table, as to not mix up what she had read, and what she hadn't.

Next, she picked up the piece of parchment from the table, and read it's contents. there were two lines of words, and Firewind read them a few times over.

_Jervis_

_Forst Reach, Valdemar_

The first name was completely intact, but she couldn't seem to make out the last name, which had faded. _Forst Reach, Valdemar_. This was the place where she would find both her brother, and her father. She knew she had to find out where this Valdemar place was, and fast. She needed to tell Axel that their mother had died, and she wanted to meet her father.

She set the page down on the left side slightly higher than the first letter, marking it as something she should bring with her on her travels. Next, came the letter from her mother to her father, knew she shouldn't read it, so she put it in the same pile as the piece of parchment, to take with her.

Firewind reached over, and grabbed the letter from her father, and figured that it was long, after feeling it's weight and thickness, and decided that she should get out of the village before anyone found her and considered foul-play with her mother. she placed it on top of her mother's letter, and decided that she would read it sometime in the near future.

There was one final thing on the table which was still on the right side. That was the black box which had the old language written on it. Firewind picked it up, and Felt the magical power flow from it through her hands. She turned the box until she found where the message started.

_If you are reading this, you are of the lineage in which Urtho, the Mage of Silence was once part of. He left this box to you_, _and you only, so read carefully to find the way to unlock it's power inside._

Firewind read on carefully, taking in each bit on information o how to open the black box. As she finished each line, she did what it asked her to do, and each line light up in a bluish colour to signify that she'd already completed that part of the intricate spell. when the last line filled with the blue coloured light, the box shook slightly, and grew so hot, that she dropped it with fear of being burned. the box cooled, and the top popped open, and it folded out to reveal a small ball of fluffy something.

The ball wriggled, and began to form itself into something recognizable. The thing became so bright, that she had to shield her eyes, and when she felt the tingle of magic around the room, and felt the light disperse, she removed her arm from in front her eyes. She looked down on the creature that had been small enough to fit in the hand held box a few moments ago, look up at her in the form of the creature she had seen so many times in her dreams over the past few years.

:_It feels good to be out of that tight space! I was starting to think that Urtho would never let you come back here to unleash me!_: The dog stretched it's body and gazed up at with his ice blue eyes. :_I think that we should get going. Your people will come looking for your mother soon, and you don't want to be here when they do. Get together some camping supplies, and some food, and we'll be on our way._:

"To where? I don't know the land beyond these plains! I know nothing about cultures, languages, maps or anything about the 'outside world,' as my mother called it." Firewind questioned the dog while she automatically got ready her supplies, and enough food for her, the dog and a horse for about a weeks time.

:_I know you nothing about those lands, but I am full of information about this time, and times to come, even near a thousand year beyond this time, I know what the land will look like, who will rule what and what will have happened, though I am not to let you know those things. Urtho placed this information in my head so I could cope with life, and the information may change on it's own as people do certain things to change what he thought was most likely at the time he made me. I am to place into your mind maps, languages and culture information when night comes, so you can sleep the headache away. But we need to get moving right now, so get that horse of yours, and lets get going!_: The dog left the house, pushing the door open with his black nose, and walked quickly to the stables.

'_Ths is certainly going to be an interesting life Firewind!_' With that, she followed in the dog's wake, ready for her long adventure.


End file.
